Michael Combes, General Counsel
Michael has over thirty years' experience of advising independent oil and gas companies. He read Modern Languages at Cambridge and had a short career in academia, as an assistant librarian at the Cambridge University Library and as an editorial assistant to Professor R. A. Leigh.
He decided to become a solicitor and trained with Clifford Turner in London and Brussels. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1974 and was a partner in law firms in the City of London for over twenty years. As well as oil and gas work, his specialisations have included extensive involvement in mergers & acquisitions, funding and venture capital.
Whilst in private practice, he advised Tullow Oil plc on its investment in Romania Blocks EPI-3 and EPI-8 and its formative acquisition from ARCO of a portfolio of UK Southern Gas Basin assets. Subsequently he worked as in-house counsel at Tullow Oil plc. More recently Michael worked as in-house counsel for an international joint venture developing a gas storage project located onshore U.K.
He joined the Blackstairs team in 2006, shortly after it was established, to act as General Counsel providing legal and commercial advice.
